Determining the Coronal Origin of the Slow Solar Wind Using Remote Sensing and In Situ Observations

We study the origin of the slow solar wind by characterizing the physical properties of the slow solar wind plasma with multi-spacecraft and ground-based observations. We compare the characteristics of coronal-streamer wind streams obtained during solar cycle 24 with results from the previous solar cycle. In order to investigate slow solar wind heating and acceleration, we also compare our measurements with predictions from theoretical models. We aim to use the empirical measurements to distinguish between different proposed physical processes for slow wind acceleration (e.g., waves/turbulence versus reconnection).

This work is supported by NASA grant NNX10AQ58G to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.